Ashanti stools and similar ones such as this are perhaps the most iconic and recognisable of all African tribal stools. These stools were made for people of great importance or a chief when he takes office. Hand-carved from a single piece of indigenous wood, these stools are believed to connect the owners to their souls and are laid on their sides when not in use, to prevent other people sitting on them or malicious spirits to attach themselves to them.

I don't believe this stool was made by the Ashanti people, but more likely a neighbouring group of the Lagoon Regions. It is large with the most incredible detail and patina, and would most likely been made for a chief or elder of importance, around the mid 20th Century.